Session 1
Organization of Groups
Arrange children in the class into two, three, or four
groups to explore Grandpa throughout the week. This
will enable you to work with two groups each day.
Guided Reading Procedure Cards 1 and 3 provide the
framework for learning before, during, and after reading
at Guided Reading time.
As you work with each group, observe
– what children know about all aspects of reading, such
as vocabulary;
– their ability to comprehend;
– how the animation helps children to use the program;
– how well children work at independent and small
group activities;
– how well children can use the Guided Reading
Procedure Cards 2 and 4 to guide their learning and
set individual goals.
After the first two or three weeks, the information from
your observations, the printouts of the children’s work on
the CD-ROM activities, plus observations of fluency and
information passed on from the previous year, will enable
more definite groupings to be made.
Guided Reading of Grandpa
read a narrative text
Activate Background
• Use the book or CD-ROM to introduce the text by looking at the cover illustration and reading
the title together. Children say what they think the story will be about.
• Share the information on the back cover.
• Walk and talk the illustrations. Ask
– Do these tell you more about the text?
– How would you revise your predictions?
• Explain that some older people get an illness that affects their brains. They aren’t able to
remember anymore. Display Content Word Card 11 to confirm meaning when appropriate.
Target Reading Strategies
• Read pages 2–3 aloud to the children. Two words set
the scene for the whole story. Ask children which
words set the scene.
– Special: Why was Grandpa special?
– Used (to): What do these words mean?
(Grandpa is still special, but he used to be able to do
things, meaning he can’t anymore.)
• Children find other examples of this as they read for
themselves.
Read the Text
After the Reading
• Children read the book on their own to find out what
makes Grandpa special and the problems he is having.
Observe children as they read.
• Ask children to identify things they want to ask
questions about—the idea of the story, a word, or
sentence.
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• Recall the story and have children ask their questions.
Other children give the answers by finding the correct
part in the text.
• Ask questions to check comprehension.
– What does confused mean on page 10?
– Have you ever been confused? Where?
– Why would the boy feel so sad?
– What does take care of someone really mean?
Guided Learning
Phonics Read Contractions
identify contractions
containing this word aloud. (He didn’t remember I
was his best friend.)
• Together rewrite the sentence, substituting did not
for didn’t. Read the original sentence and the new
sentence aloud. Compare the two sentences.
– How do they sound different?
• Repeat for couldn’t (The doctor said Grandpa
couldn’t go home…) and doesn’t (He still doesn’t
know who I am).
• Introduce the lesson by using the CD-ROM to
demonstrate the Explanimation on contractions.
• Write the phrase did not on the board. Ask
– Do you know a shorter way of saying did not?
Write didn’t on the board. Explain that didn’t is a
contraction. It is a shorter way of saying did not.
• Repeat with could not (couldn’t) and does
not (doesn’t).
• Ask children to scan the text of Grandpa to find the
word didn’t. Have a volunteer read the sentence
APPLY Children could
– write a sentence using one of the contractions, trade papers with a partner, and rewrite the partner’s
sentence, using the long form of the contraction;
– make a list of contractions on a bookmark to use for writing reference;
– revisit the Explanimation on contractions on the CD-ROM.
TEACH
Independent and Small Group Learning
Work on Spelling Game
Write a Story
spell content and high-frequency words
create narrative texts
Children are shown the Spelling Game on the
CD-ROM. A passage from the text appears on
the screen. Children select five words at a time
from 15 highlighted words, then spell them.
At the end of the activity they can print out a
certificate as a record of their achievement.
Focus words for Grandpa are grandpa, special,
love, him, very, much, used, play, read, stories,
always, took, swimming, how, ride.
Have a teacher assistant show children
how to use the task cards. Children use
Write a Story Task Card (43) to plan
and write a narrative text.
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Session 2
Guided Reading of Grandpa
retell stories
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Ask children to retell the story from the illustrations and discuss the text.
Have volunteers read selected pages from the book.
How do you know this word says hospital?
Which word is because? doctor? (refer to Content Word Card 11.)
Vocabulary Use Synonyms
select synonyms to explain word meaning
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TEACH
• Display pages 4–5 and focus on taught. Ask children to give words instead of taught (e.g. showed me
how, explained, demonstrated).
• Follow a similar procedure for sick on pages 6–7.
• Explain that words that mean the same or almost the same are called synonyms.
• Ask children to work in pairs to write synonyms on word cards for see (pages 8–9), look after (pages
12–13) and Grandpa. Create a list of the synonyms on the board.
APPLY
Children could
– reread the story, substituting their synonyms to see if they work
and help to explain and keep the author’s meaning;
– use Name a Synonym or Antonym Task Card (12) to make
a list of describing words with their synonyms and antonyms.
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Guided Learning
Find Synonyms
select synonyms to explain
word meaning
Children continue to list describing words
using Name a Synonym or Antonym
Task Card (12).
Write a Letter or Email
write ideas in sentences
Children write a letter or email to their
grandparent or an elderly family friend.
They use Grandpa to find suitable words
and sentences (e.g. I love it when you
read me stories).
Work on Word Detective
build vocabulary informally through reading
Children are shown the Word Detective activity. They look at sentences from the text and click on the
word that matches the definition read out by the voice-over. The target words are hospital, confused,
and remember. They print out a certificate at the end of the activity as a record of their learning.
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Session 3
Guided Reading of Grandpa
answer questions about text: when answer is stated
Review the questions and answers from Session 2, making sure
that children understand the process involved in finding answers
to questions about words, sentences, and the story as a whole.
Comprehension Discuss the Text
make a personal response
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TEACH
• Review children’s understanding of the main ideas of Grandpa. Ask
about the words used (to) and taught and phrases like take care of
and still doesn’t know who I am.
• Ask about children’s reactions to the story and record these as
sentences. Read these sentences, and turn them into a story about
feelings for children to read.
APPLY
Children could use Connect to the Text Task Card (23) to
organize their thoughts about the text.
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Guided Learning
Find New Words
build vocabulary informally
through reading
Children use Be a Word Detective Task
Card (8) and Grandpa to find new words.
They record them on a list.
Make New Sentences
use a thesaurus
• Children work in pairs to use a thesaurus
to find alternative meanings for words
from the book—confused, special, sad.
• They read the sentences using the new
words to see if they make sense.
• Some software programs have a
thesaurus for children to use. Have a
teacher assistant demonstrate how
to use it.
Work on Readermeter
reread a familiar text
• Children are shown how to do the Readermeter activity. First they watch a teleprompter and listen
to a passage read from the book.
• Then they read the passage aloud trying to match the reader’s time. A speed adjuster can be used
to slow down the teleprompter, but ideally children should be within four seconds of the reader.
A certificate showing the child’s reading speed can be printed out.
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Session 4
Guided Reading of Grandpa
Review Learning
Ask children to think about the text Grandpa and to describe a strategy they used to help them
read it. Children share whether or not they also used that particular strategy. Encourage them
to think about appropriate strategies they did not use to read this text and to consider using
them next time.
Fluency Read with Expression
vary expression to convey author’s meaning
TEACH
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Read the first few pages of Grandpa aloud, using a flat, inexpressive voice. Ask
What did you notice about my voice when I read?
Did my voice help you understand how the narrator felt about his grandpa? Why not?
Establish that good readers use an expressive voice to help their audience understand the feelings of
characters in a story. They emphasize certain words as they read.
• Read the selection again, this time using a more expressive voice. Discuss the difference.
– Did you notice how I emphasized very?
• Read the text page by page, with children repeating the reading as precisely as they can.
• Vary the reading on the next pass, with children reading alternate sentences after you.
• Divide children into three groups and have the groups read the beginning, middle, and end of the
story. Encourage them to use expressive voices as they read. They can listen to the audio CD to
echo-read for fluency.
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Guided Learning
Think About the Text
Revisit CD-ROM Activities
compare ideas
start/exit programs
Children are shown how to use Be a
Thoughtful Reader Task Card (22).
In pairs they each choose one thing to
think about regarding Grandpa and then
compare ideas.
Children work through the activities
on the CD-ROM. They complete any
unfinished activities and print out their
certificates for their portfolios.
Make a Card
use drawing application on a
computer to create simple pictures
Children make cards to send to residents
of a local nursing home. They use a wordprocessing program or computer drawing
software to create their cards. Encourage
them to use large, legible print and colorful
clip art or graphics on their cards.
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